Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America's Future

by Jean M. Twenge

As we saw earlier in the chapter, Black adults were instead increasingly happier between the 1970s and the 2010s, so their trends are different. Yet there was also a growing class divide in happiness among Blacks: The happiness of lower-income Black adults stayed steady, and the happiness of higher-income Blacks increased. Thus the happiness gap also widened among Blacks. So for both White and Black Americans, class divisions in happiness increased over the decades, with the result a net gain in happiness among Blacks and a net loss among Whites. Among the four groups (higher-income Blacks, higher-income Whites, lower-income Blacks, and lower-income Whites), only one declined substantially in happiness: lower-income Whites. Knowing this helps explain a good deal of recent history, from Trump’s election in 2016 to the insurrection of January 6, 2021. Because unhappiness breeds mistrust, these trends also help explain many White lower-income Americans’ resistance to vaccines and mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic.